SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San José), joined by 42 of his Assembly colleagues including Speaker Robert Rivas, in letter to California’s United States Senators, strongly oppose President Trump’s attempts to invalidate court orders, obstruct justice, and put himself above the law through a provision buried in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
“This President continues to find dangerous and unprecedented ways to harm the American people. If signed into law as is, there is a provision in the President’s tax cutting bill that amounts to an act of legislative assault on the core functions of the judicial branch of government. It would strip the judiciary branch of one of the last meaningful checks on the cruel and careless acts of this administration,” said Assemblymember Kalra. “We urge the US Senate to act quickly and remove this provision.”
As passed by the US House of Representatives, the President’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” would eviscerate judicial oversight of the executive branch of government by, among other things, invalidating past injunctions against unlawful government action and limiting judge’s ability to punish those who refuse to comply with court orders. As a practical matter, given that security is not required and almost never ordered under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(c), the language would invalidate virtually all temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, and even permanent injunctions ordered by federal courts—sweeping in its effect on orders, both prospective and historic.
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Assemblymember Ash Kalra represents California’s 25th Assembly District, which encompasses the majority of San José, including downtown and open space areas in southeast Santa Clara County. He was first elected in 2016, becoming the first Indian American to serve in the California Legislature in state history, and was re-elected to his fifth term in 2024. Assemblymember Kalra is the Chair of the Committee on Judiciary and also serves as a member on the Housing & Community Development, Labor & Employment, Natural Resources, and Utilities & Energy committees.